The countdown has begun for the Gallery Precinct 2259 Love Lanes Festival this weekend.The inaugural Festival will showcase Wyong in a new light on Saturday 11 February, and kicks off at 4pm.Festival-goers will be able to immerse themselves in the abundance of colour, sounds and smells of this unique event.There is sure to be something for everyone as the town comes to life with three music stages, aerial circus performances, live art, free kids activities, great food and much, much more.For more details, search Love Lanes Festival 2017 on Facebook.To help make this Festival a success and safe for motorists and visitors alike, road closures will be in place at:Alison Road (between Pacific Highway and Hely Street) from 6am-11.30pmBakers Lane (between Pacific Highway and Rankins Court) from 11am-11.30pmRobley’s Lane Wyong (between Pacific Highway and Hely Street) from 11am-11.30pmPeters Lane from 11am-11.30pm (business access only).
Central Coast Council has outlined key regional issues and delivered its ‘wish list’ for the coast as part of the NSW Government’s Community Cabinet, held at the Mingara Recreation Club this morning.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds opened the meeting with a short presentation on the progress of the new organisation and a list of high priority issues for the Central Coast.Community members were also given the opportunity to raise their concerns and issues directly with new Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her Ministerial team.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the Community Cabinet was a positive and productive forum to discuss regional matters.“The Community Cabinet is an important vehicle for residents to have their say on issues including transport infrastructure, coastal management, economic development and planning,” said Mr Reynolds.“It’s fantastic Premier Berejiklian chose the Central Coast as her first stop and illustrates our important status as a key developing region of New South Wales.“We are the only Council in the state that is a region in its own right, putting us in a unique position to work with the State Government and ensure we move the Central Coast forward.“The Central Coast is a vibrant, growing community filled with promise - we’re excited about opportunities to develop transport infrastructure, and see improved planning to foster local job creation and thriving town centres.Central Coast Council CEO, Rob Noble, said it was pleasing to be able to share the organisation’s key priorities as part of the morning’s meeting.“I’d like to thank Premier Berejiklian and her team for allowing us the opportunity to outline what we feel are key regional issues,” said Mr Noble.“Many local residents were also able to meet with Government representatives and I’m looking forward to the potential outcomes for the Central Coast as a result of this meeting.”Items presented by Council include the Link Road to connect Wyong and Warnervale as well as roads planning overall, Coastal Management Plan, Langford Drive and returning more of the NSW Waste Levy to the Central Coast.
It has been a big week for Wyong’s Little Creek Cheese company with owners Russell and Sue Parsons shipping off their special entries to the Royal Sydney Easter Show yesterday.The award-winning Central Coast cheese artisans hope to add to the company’s medal tally in 2017.Last year they won 27 medals in competitions across Australia, including five Gold’s at Royal Shows around the country.Russell is most proud of winning Highest Scoring Club Cheddar in Australia at the prestigious 2016 Dairy Industry Association of Australia competition, with Little Creek’s sensational Onion Cheddar.“We beat ‘em all,” Russell says proudly, “all the big names like South Cape and Margaret River, and we did it producing cheese right here on the Central Coast.”A proud Coastie, Russell is an ambassador for the Central Coast’s This is the life promotion.“We really have the best of all worlds here on the Coast. I encourage all Coasties to tell their friends and families how wonderful the place is,” said Russell“We’ve received great backing from the local community and local businesses stocking our products.“The support we’ve received has just cemented why we love living where we do, it’s all about the people and the community.”“When we are at markets outside the region, such as in the Hunter Valley, and people try our products and see our awards, they are surprised we come from the Central Coast.“A certain amount of pride comes out of that not only for us, but for the region which doesn’t yet have a big reputation for gourmet produce.“Together with other Coast food producers we’ve formed the Central Coast Food Collective to try to change all that! We hope in our own small way, we are making a difference.”As for the Royal Sydney Easter Show, Russell expects stiff competition and is hoping for at least one Gold medal.“I’m a little bit superstitious about revealing what our entries are, but we will definitely have another crack with the Haloumi and a few other varieties,” Russel said.“I know it’s a bit cheesy to say but it’s true – even if we don’t win, the real winner is cheese itself.In 2017 Little Creek Cheese is expanding into gourmet flavoured salts, starting with a grinder pack of “chilli, basil and garlic” and “lemon myrtle, peppercorn and garlic” flavoured salts.“We’re working on a few other varieties too,” Russell hints. So watch this space!Little Creek Cheese can be found at the Wyong Milk Factory on Alison Road, Wyong.
The long awaited BMX track at San Remo will be officially opened this weekend with some of Australia's best riders testing the track, demonstrating their skills and signing autographs.Central Coast Council has given the Extreme Sports Park a makeover to cater for the growing interest in BMX riding.
A Festival highlighting the hidden gems of Wyong has renewed pride in the area.More than 4,500 people braved the heat to check out the inaugural Gallery Precinct 2259 Love Lanes Festival – a unique event coordinated by Central Coast Council in partnership with local businesses and community organisations.Council’s Group Leader Connected Communities, Ms Julie Vaughan, said the Festival showcased how the revitalisation of the Wyong CBD is changing perceptions of the area for the better.“The aim of the Festival was to drive economic development and revitalise the town centre of Wyong while showing visitors the unique character it has to offer,” Ms Vaughan said.“And it certainly did just that!“There was a great vibe and atmosphere as festival-goers lined the laneways of Wyong.“Despite the weather, it was great to see so many people experiencing the good food and entertainment as well as rediscovering the historic town.“The CBD was transformed for one evening – like never before and everyone loved it!”Wyong was filled with so much colour and activity and the visitors also agreed.Some of the feedback received from attendees included:“Sensational night.
New signage and road pavement line marking will be installed at Scenic Highway at Terrigal starting tonight.The move is in response to concerns raised by residents who attended a public meeting on Monday 19 December.Four 50km an hour signs will be replaced with larger signs and five new signs will be installed from Terrigal Esplanade to Charles Kay Drive. Six new 50km indicators will also be printed on the road surface itself.This signage is to make it very clear to drivers the speed limit along this busy road is 50km an hour.Council is also currently getting additional information on the number of vehicles and speeds along the road and will work with Police to reduce the incidences of speeding.Council is entering into discussion with Ausgrid to relocate a power pole and a number of trees just east of Bellevue Crescent to improve sight lines for drivers approaching this intersection with Scenic Highway.At the community meeting on Monday, Council unveiled plans to upgrade Scenic Highway at the intersection with Bellevue Crescent, including a pedestrian refuge, a footpath on both sides of Scenic Highway, removal of trees, lowering of an embankment, street lighting and parking restrictions.Community comment is now being sought on the plans which can be viewed at haveyoursaycentralcoast.nsw.gov.au. Submissions will be received up until Friday 3 February 2017.
Central Coast Council will celebrate strong post-merger development activity this festive season.A combination of increased investment and decreased assessment times has resulted in an overall investment of over $600 million into the Central Coast region since the new Council was formed in May.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said that the latest figures were a promising sign of things to come in 2017.“These results are particularly pleasing, given all the hard work of our development assessment teams since the merger was announced in May,” said Mr Reynolds.“Amidst the many changes taking place internally, their commitment to getting the job done and facilitating appropriate development right across the region has been second to none.“In addition to the great results this year, there is currently over $500 million worth of development projects to go before the Joint Regional Planning Panel for their determination in the new year.”Council’s Group Leader of Environment and Planning, Mr Scott Cox, said that while the 2016 results were positive, there is always room for improvement.“This is the beginning of a significant journey for us in development assessment, improving the way we operate and ultimately, promoting sustainable growth and investment right across the Central Coast,” said Mr Cox.“Since the merger announcement, Council has determined 1837 Development Applications – compared to 1600 in the 7 months prior to amalgamation across the two former Councils.“We’ve also seen an increase in Section 96 determinations, with 396 applications processed post-merger.“The benefits of changes in our processes are already being realised with the median determination times down as the development teams come together.Council’s current median determination time sits at 38 days, below the State Government benchmark of 40 days.The largest Development Applications determined since amalgamation are for mixed use and commercial buildings in the Gosford CBD including Creightons, Ikon Tower, the Australian Taxation Office building and Duttons.A Developer’s Forum is planned for Monday 27 February 2017 to explore ways Council can better work with the industry to facilitate development opportunities on the Central Coast to meet our growing housing and employment needs.
Central Coast Council advises Enterprise Drive (Chittaway Road) between Burns Road and The Boulevard (University of Newcastle, Central Coast Campus), Ourimbah will be closed for approximately four hours due to repairs to a leaking water service.Local diversions are in place and motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible.Heavy vehicles should use the Pacific Highway or the M1 Pacific Motorway (F3) due to the clearance height (3m) of the Burns Road railway underpass.Council will advise when Enterprise Drive reopens to traffic.
Enterprise Drive (Chittaway Road) between Burns Road and The Boulevard (University of Newcastle, Central Coast Campus), Ourimbah has now reopened to all traffic.Council would like to thank motorists for their patience while we made these important repairs.